Men return after four-year team absence

For the first time in four years, the Michigan men's gymnastics team is packing its bags in April.

The eighth-ranked Wolverines will travel to Amherst, Mass. tomorrow for the NCAA East Regional, where they are seeded fifth in a field of six teams.

But it's not like the competition is unfamiliar.

The Big Ten has something of a monopoly on the East Region. This year all six teams hail from the conference, and that may work to Michigan's advantage.

Of the 14 gymnasts who will don the maize and blue this weekend, only two have previous regional experience. Sophomore LaLo Haro and senior Tim DeGraw have each competed individually at the NCAA event.

The remaining twelve can find solace in the fact that the meet will bear a striking resemblance to the Big Ten Championships, which took place just two weeks ago at Crisler Arena.

"It'll just about be a repeat of the Big Tens, but with individuals from other teams," Michigan coach Kurt Golder said.

A repeat, minus Minnesota, which failed to qualify for the field.

Just like at the Big Tens, Golder plans to give the all-around nods to Haro and freshman Kevin Roulston on Saturday. The duo finished ninth and seventh, respectively, at the championships. Penn State's Mike Dutka, who captured the all-around Big Ten crown, is the favorite to defend his all-around title in Amherst.

The Wolverines will look to freshman Justin Toman to lead the way on parallel bars. Toman took top honors in the event at the Big Tens and also won it last Saturday when the team traveled to Michigan State.

Freshman Kenny Keener will be key to Michigan's performance on still rings, as he leads the team into competition with a school record of 9.75. Haro holds team highs on pommel horse and floor exercise.

Michigan has the potential to do the most damage on vault - an event the team dominated at the Big Tens. Haro, Roulston, senior Tim Lauring and sophomore Tim Dehr combined to give Michigan third-, fourth-, fifth- and seventh-place finishes during individual competition.

Although the Wolverines will be accustomed to all of their opponents, one particular adversary is becoming especially familiar.

Michigan has seen rival Michigan State enough times in the past few weeks to be green in the face. The teams will square off for the fourth week in a row during the regional meet.

Despite so many close meetings, the last of which Michigan lost by 0.075, an expected blood-boiling rivalry has been preempted by interscholastic camaraderie. Golder said that the inevitable

Michigan-Michigan State rivalry still exists, but the teams' attitudes are tending toward friendship.

"I don't think it's going in the direction of resent," he said. "It's a gain of respect."

Maybe so, but the fact remains that only three teams will advance from the Regionals to the NCAA Championships on April 16-18. As of right now, neither team is ranked in the top three, and they will have to fight each other for a bid on Saturday.

Despite the meet's importance, Golder has been keeping the practice schedule fairly consistent this week.

"We've got the machine working fine, and it's pointed in the right direction," Golder said.

Right now that direction is east, to Amherst and the NCAA Regionals.

No. 2 Iowa tops the region, qualifying with a three-score average of 230.174. Michigan's average is about 1.5 less than that, and that's enough to keep the Wolverines out of the top three.

04-02-98